Tridentine Community News - Traditional Holy Water Blessing Implores Health; Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence; t. Joseph Oratory Named Archdiocesan Shrine; Check On-Line for OCLMA Mass Location & Time; First of Two New York Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (March 15, 2020):

March 15, 2020 -- Third Sunday of Lent

Traditional Holy Water Blessing Implores Health

This column and many other authors have long touted the benefits of Holy Water blessed using the Traditional Roman Ritual. Salt is exorcized and blessed, the water is exorcized and blessed, and then a prayer is said after the salt is added to the water. The modern rite of blessing holy water omits the exorcisms and has a vastly abbreviated prayer. No wonder it is said that water blessed the “old way” is more efficacious.

The traditional blessing includes the following words: “Be thou a purified salt for the health of believers, giving soundness of body and soul to all who use thee….May all that use it find a remedy for soul and body…Let this creature [water] serve Thee in expelling demons and curing diseases.” Traditionally blessed Holy Water therefore has a role to play in protecting us against the current Coronavirus and future health threats.

Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence

The collection of Votive Masses provided in the Traditional Roman Missal includes a Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence, sometimes also called the Votive Mass for Epidemics. O’Connell’s The Celebration of Mass indicates that for a grave matter of public concern, a priest may celebrate this Votive Mass as a Mass of the Second Class, meaning it can be used in place of a Lenten Feria. The St. Benedict Tridentine Community will celebrate this Votive Mass this Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM.

St. Joseph Oratory Named Archdiocesan Shrine

Archbishop Allen Vigneron has designated St. Joseph Oratory as an Archdiocesan Shrine. The formal announcement was originally to have taken place during His Excellency’s visit to the church during the St. Joseph Day of Prayer on March 19, but that event has presumably been suspended.

Shrines can be Diocesan, National, or International in designation. Very few international shrines exist; one that is quite well-known is the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. Most famous shrines are National, for example the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and our own Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak. Other Archdiocesan Shrines in Detroit include the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Joseph Chapel in Pontiac, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Riverview where the Blue Army holds Masses. The Diocese of London, Ontario has Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine in Merlin.

Check On-Line for OCLMA Mass Location & Time

The Academy of the Sacred Heart decided to close the school to outside activities this weekend. Then Archbishop Vigneron suspended all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Detroit through Monday, April 6. The Triduum in the Extraordinary Form is still planned at the Academy, with Fr. Louis Madey as celebrant: Holy Thursday at 7:00 PM, Good Friday at 1:30 PM, and the Easter Vigil at 8:00 PM. There will be no Mass on Easter Sunday. Please check the OCLMA Twitter account at @oclatinmass or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OCLMA to find out the latest information about OCLMA Masses and to confirm the plans for the Triduum, as things are clearly in flux.

First of Two New York Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo




Episode 19 of Extraordinary Faith – New York City Part 1 of 2 – is now available for viewing on the Extraordinary Faith channel on YouTube and Vimeo. We’ll pay a visit to Sacra Liturgía, one of the world’s largest conferences on traditional sacred liturgy. We’ll speak with Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the Church’s most enthusiastic advocates of the Traditional Mass. We’ll talk with two of the conference speakers: Dom Alcuin Reid, the liturgical scholar who organizes the event, and a professor who will explain to us the theological understanding of beauty. We’ll speak with the Dominican priest who hosted the conference in his parish, and we’ll take you to the Solemn Pontifical Mass that crowned the conference.

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for March 15, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Short Indulgenced Prayers; Windsor Episode of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 3, 2019):

November 3, 2019 – Twenty-first Sunday After Pentecost

Short Indulgenced Prayers

“A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, while carrying out their duties and enduring the hardships of life, raise their minds in humble trust to God and make, at least mentally, some pious invocation.” So says the 2006 edition of the Manual of Indulgences, which goes on to provide examples of such Pious Invocations, listed below. The book stresses that these short prayers, which are also known as Aspirations and which may be spontaneously worded, are only indulgenced when they are prayed in conjunction with the performance of some work or the experience of some difficulty. Simply praying such invocations on their own, while obviously not without merit, does not gain the indulgence. The Church thus encourages us to form the habit of consecrating our daily obligations and crosses to God.

My God!
Father!
Jesus!
Praised be Jesus Christ!
I believe in You, O Lord!
I adore You!
I hope in You!
I love You!
All for You!
Thanks be to God!
Blessed be God!
Your kingdom come!
Your will be done!
As the Lord wills!
Help me, O God!
Comfort me!
Hear my prayer!
Save me!
Have mercy on me!
Spare me, O Lord!
Do not allow me to be separated from You!
Do not forsake me!
Hail, Mary!
Glory to God in the highest!
You are great, O Lord!
I am totally Yours!
Allow me to praise you, Virgin most holy; give me strength against your enemies.
All holy men and women of God, pray for us.
Blessed be the Holy Trinity!
Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ rules!
Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Hail, O Cross, our only hope.
Heart of Jesus, all for You.
Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for You.
Heart of Jesus, in You I trust.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me.
Holy Mother of God, ever Virgin Mary, intercede for us.
Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Yours.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
Lord, increase our faith.
Lord, let our minds be united in truth, and our hearts in love.
Lord, save us, we are perishing.
Lord, send laborers into Your harvest.
May the Virgin Mary bless us with her holy Child.
May the most Blessed Sacrament be praised now and forevermore.
Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
My God and my all.
My Lord and my God!
My Mother, my trust.
O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
O Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Remain with us, O Lord.
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.
Tender heart of Mary, be my safety!
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Windsor Episode of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo


Episode 12 of Extraordinary Faith – Windsor – is now available for viewing on-line. This is the first of three episodes that were filmed in the Detroit area. Featuring Assumption and St. Alphonsus Churches, Fr. Peter Hrytsyk, Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz, Wassim Sarweh, and Charlotte & Ron Parent, there are many familiar sights and personages in this episode, which you can find on the Extraordinary Faith channel on both YouTube and Vimeo.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 11/05 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
• Sat. 11/09 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Dedication of the Archbasilica of Our Savior)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for November 3, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Why I’ve Tuned Out National Public Radio

Why I've Tuned Out National Public Radio
ON THE WORSHIP OF THE MOLOCH OF EQUALITY

By John Lyon | September 2019

One day recently, prompted by programming on National Public Radio (NPR), I undertook a penance I had often threatened myself with on similar provocation but had firmly resisted: I listened to an hour of Rush Limbaugh.

Since 1956 I’ve listened to NPR via various state affiliates from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, including 26 years of broadcasts from Madison, Wisconsin. Over those 63 years, I’ve witnessed the steady drift of NPR’s programming downward and to the Left: the expectable, inevitable, massive movement of most institutions in a democracy.

By some fey magic, NPR manages to continue providing valuable programming: classical music; the narration of vital books; generally useful because informative programs about agricultural, medical, and scientific matters; and even news of events. The slant of commentary about events, however, as well as the choice of topics and sociopolitical pitch of most of its talk-show sessions, is obnoxiously slanted and blatantly partisan. It is sheer “progressive” propaganda. And this is particularly dangerous in a republic degenerating into a democracy.

National Public Radio pleads the cause of radical feminism. (Why isn’t this a form of sexism?) It foments racism by offering outrageous examples of it, all designed to demonstrate that nothing white is right. I can’t recall the last time it covered a case of egregious black-on-white or black-on-black violence. Recently, NPR has been treating listeners to endless harassment over “reparations” — even poetry is called to take sides — because some of our ancestors were here when slavery was legal. How does this bring people together in our society? If genuine reconciliation is to take place, then truly monstrous behavior in the past ought not to be forgotten, but it ought never to be emphasized by public media.

National Public Radio plays about with socialism — a discreet, tentative, middle-class, pleading, speaking-in-euphemisms about what is, in fact, revolutionary. In NPR’s scope, policemen, policing, and, above all, any action carried out by ICE functionaries tend ipso facto to be in the wrong; meanwhile, NPR makes celebrities of chosen criminals.

National Public Radio turned the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh into a circus maximus performance, abetting the pre-judged, thumbs-down verdict of social media in the circus minimus. It played to the galleries about the bad, bad Covington High School students’ oppressing and threatening a poor, unarmed, tom-tom beating “Native American,” when it was, in fact, the tom-tom beater who was attempting to incite an outrage.

Tridentine Community News - Extraordinary Faith Episode 21 – Pittsburgh Part 1 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, August 3

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (July 28, 2019):

July 28, 2019 – Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

Extraordinary Faith Episode 21 – Pittsburgh Part 1 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, August 3

The rush of new episodes of Extraordinary Faith continues: Next Saturday, August 3, at 4:30 AM U.S. Eastern time, EWTN will debut Episode 21 – Pittsburgh Part 1 of 2. This episode was filmed at the Church Music Association’s Sacred Music Colloquium, held at Duquesne University.

General Manager of the Church Music Association of America Janet Gorbitz opens the episode with a history of the CMAA and an explanation of their annual Colloquia. She explains why these gatherings attract people of all levels of musical experience, from absolute beginner to seasoned pro.


When most people think of parishes devoted to the Traditional Mass, they think of communities led by the Fraternity of St. Peter and the Institute of Christ the King. Less well-known are parishes led by diocesan clergy. Fr. Robert Pasley, a priest of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, tells us the history of the church he pastors, Mater Ecclésiæ, the first and oldest parish in the United States led by diocesan priests which celebrates exclusively the Extraordinary Form. He also tells us about their annual Masses in the cathedrals of neighboring dioceses, including Philadelphia.


Just as the internet was gaining steam in the early 2000s, one particular choir director became known for hitting the road and training singers in Gregorian Chant. To this day, Scott Turkington remains an evangelist for choir members learning the Church’s timeless form of music. He tells us why it is so important for students at the Colloquium to strive to improve their home music programs as best as they are able.


Years ago, the only Traditional Mass in San Diego was held every Sunday in the chapel of a mausoleum. Today that community is led by priests of the Fraternity of St. Peter, has its own church, St. Anne, and offers a particularly ambitious music program. Former Choir Director Mary Ann Carr Wilson tells us how she inspired children to learn Gregorian Chant, particularly through their annual summer Chant Camps.


A rising star among parishes that embrace traditional liturgy and music is the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Music Director Maria Rist tells us about the various choirs she leads there and how their music offerings have developed over the years.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 07/30 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
• Fri. 08/02 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor) – Choir will sing Missa O Quam Gloriósum by Tomás Luis de Victoria. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament after Mass. Reception follows/
• Sat. 08/03 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for July 28, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Extraordinary Faith Episode 20 – New York Part 2 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 27

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (July 28, 2019):

July 21, 2019 – Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

Extraordinary Faith Episode 20 – New York Part 2 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 27

EWTN will broadcast another new episode of Extraordinary Faith this week: Next Saturday, July 27, at 4:30 AM U.S. Eastern time, EWTN will premiere Episode 20 – New York City Part 2 of 2. This episode has a theme of beauty, in art, architecture, and liturgy.


In the first segment, Manhattan-based architect Dino Marcantonio tells about the Catholic Artists Society, a group he founded which seeks to build a community of Catholic artists devoted to using their talents to serve God and the liturgy. The society holds periodic lectures, Masses, and social events in Manhattan.

The internet abounds with stories of “wreckovations”, instances of older churches being renovated in bland, modern styles that no longer convey a traditional sense of the sacred. The pendulum is swinging back, however, as many churches that had once been wreckovated are restoring their interiors to their original sacred beauty. One of the most impressive examples of an un-wreckovation is Brooklyn’s Holy Name of Jesus Church. Pastor Fr. Larry Ryan tells us about the project which converted the 1980s “hockey stick” sanctuary back to a pristine, traditional arrangement, including a grand High Altar. Not surprisingly, the church now periodically offers the Traditional Mass.





One of the treasures of the Church not fully appreciated by many Catholics is her Calendar, and the gradations and structure of Feast Days contained therein. Baylor University Associate Professor of Patristics Dr. Michael Foley tells us about little-known yet profound aspects of the Extraordinary Form Calendar, such as Ember and Rogation Days.

We take a road trip outside Manhattan to a parish known far and wide for its exceptional liturgical and musical program: St. Mary in Norwalk, Connecticut. Music Director David Hughes tells us about the parish life there, including the choral program he leads and the architectural restoration overseen by architect Duncan Stroik.


Many of the aspects of the Traditional Latin Mass are not proprietary to that form of the Sacred Liturgy. Though not often seen, elements such as ad oriéntem celebration, use of Gregorian Chant, and kneeling to receive Holy Communion are available options in the Ordinary Form. Fr. Thomas Kocik, author of the book The Reform of the Reform, explains how the Ordinary Form of Holy Mass can benefit from employing these features.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 07/23 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Apollinaris, Bishop & Martyr)
• Sat. 07/27 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for July 28, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - First Traditional Mass Held at Solanus Center on July 13; Extraordinary Faith Episode 19 – New York Part 1 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 20

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (July 14, 2019):

July 14, 2019 – Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

First Traditional Mass Held at Solanus Center on July 13


Readers will be delighted to learn that the first Tridentine Mass in almost 50 years was held at Detroit’s Solanus Casey Center, a.k.a. the Capuchins’ St. Bonaventure Monastery, on Saturday, July 13. It was a Low Mass offered for the Young Adults group which the monastery sponsors, and co-organized by an enthusiastic young Capuchin, Brother Joseph. The Mass was held in the Friars’ Chapel, the smaller chapel behind the High Altar of the main chapel, where Fr. Solanus was known to spend much time in Adoration and prayer. Further details about the Mass were not available at press time. We hope and pray that the Capuchins will permit additional Traditional Masses, the very form of Mass that Blessed Fr. Solanus knew and celebrated.

Extraordinary Faith Episode 19 – New York Part 1 of 2 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 20

EWTN continues to debut new episodes of Extraordinary Faith weekly: Next Saturday, July 20, at 4:30 AM U.S. Eastern time, EWTN will premiere Episode 19 – New York City Part 1 of 2. This episode was filmed at the Sacra Liturgía Conference which took place in Manhattan in 2015.

The episode opens with an interview with one of the most widely known advocates of traditional liturgy of our time, Raymond Cardinal Burke, who was the celebrant of the conference’s Pontifical Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form. His Eminence discusses at length the significance of the faithful having solemn and reverent liturgy available, and the fruits that it brings to Catholic life.


Most of the liturgies for the conference were held at St. Catherine of Siena Church. Then-pastor Fr. Jordan Kelly, OP gives us a tour of the church and tells us about the significant Dominican presence in New York City at St. Catherine and its sister church, St. Vincent Ferrer, and in health care ministry.


One of the speakers at the conference, Dr. Margaret Hughes, at the time Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the College of Mount St. Vincent, explains how beauty in religion can educate and attract people to the Faith.

Arguably one of the greatest living scholars of the Sacred Liturgy of our time is Dom Alcuin Reid, Prior of the Monastère Saint- Benoît in France and organizer of the Sacra Liturgía conferences. From his authorship of numerous books, to his role as editor of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, the penultimate reference book for the rubrics of the Traditional Latin Mass, Dom Alcuin is the globally acknowledged go-to person for both historical and practical questions about all forms of liturgy. He tells us the reasons for founding the conference series, as well as some background about Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Robert Cardinal Sarah’s statements in support of solemn worship.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 07/16 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)
• Sat. 07/20 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Jerome Emiliani, Confessor)
• Sat. 07/20 7:00 PM: High Mass at Ste. Anne de Detroit (St. Jerome Emiliani, Confessor) – First Tridentine Mass celebrated as part of the parish’s annual Novena to St. Anne. Celebrant: Msgr. Ronald Browne. Homilist: Canon Michael Stein. Music will be provided by Ste. Anne’s own Gabriel Richard Schola. Servers from the Oakland County Latin Mass Association and the St. Benedict Tridentine Community will assist.

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for July 14, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - 'Extraordinary Faith' Episode 17 - London Part 3 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 6; Tridentine Masses this coming week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (June 30, 2019):

June 30, 2019 – External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

Extraordinary Faith Episode 17 – London Part 3 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Saturday, July 6

EWTN has scheduled another batch of new episodes of Extraordinary Faith for airing over the next several weeks. Episode 17 is the third of four filmed in London, England, which this column has many times explained is a sort of Catholic liturgical paradise. Extraordinary Faith Episode 17 debuts on EWTN this Saturday, July 6 at 4:30 AM U.S. Eastern time.

The two previous London episodes showcased two of the prominent boys’ choirs in the city, the Westminster Cathedral Choir School and the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School. London has not neglected young ladies, however; indeed, across the Thames River, St. George’s Cathedral in Southwark has a girls’ choir, comprised largely of young ladies from immigrant families, who have learned to sing the classical Latin repertoire. Even more impressive, because the choir director at the time of filming, Norman Harper, must play the organ accompaniment, he delegates the actual conducting of the choir to one of his more accomplished students. St. George’s experience proves that young singers not only can sing difficult material but they actually embrace the challenge.

The Tridentine Mass scene in England is so busy that there are not one but two organizations devoted to organizing and promoting Latin Liturgy. The first and larger of the two is the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, which boasts its own office with full-time staff members in the Covent Garden theatre district of London. LMS Chairman Dr. Joseph Shaw tells us about the history and achievements of the LMS.

England is, of course, headquarters of the Anglican Church. England’s enthusiastic embrace of traditional Catholic liturgy, as well as the truths and beauty of our Faith, have not gone unnoticed by Anglicans. Msgr. Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, explains the origins and purpose of the Ordinariate in welcoming Anglican convert clergy and faithful to the Catholic Church, including offering its own distinctive Anglican-like liturgy, depicted below at the Ordinariate’s Our Lady of the Assumption & St. Gregory Church.

One of the most accomplished adult choirs in the world is that of St. James Spanish Place Church. Its young music director Iestyn Evans tells us how this parish in the embassy district of London has been able to attract top local professional singers to its Latin-centric music program. St. James is known both for solemn Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form Masses and regularly serves as the site for EF Confirmations in London.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 07/01 7:00 PM: High Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular (Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ)
• Tue. 07/02 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Fri. 07/05 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Confessor) – Celebrant: Fr. David Bechill. Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass. Reception afterwards.
• Sat. 07/06 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for June 30, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Reasons for Thanksgiving and Optimism; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 18, 2018):

November 18, 2018 – Resumed Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

Reasons for Thanksgiving and Optimism

It seems that most of the Catholic news nowadays comes in one of two categories, either bad news about malfeasance and corruption in the Church hierarchy or “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” seemingly forced-happy news from establishment Catholic media outlets.

Ignored in both of the above are the quiet signs of improvement in many areas of Catholic life, most connected with the Traditional Latin Mass. Given that this is the week of American Thanksgiving, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves to give thanks for what we do have. For example:

The continuing mainstreaming of the Tridentine Mass, and its increasing prominence in diocesan life. The ever-increasing number of Extraordinary Form Mass sites in metro Detroit and Windsor (and elsewhere) is something unimaginable just eleven years ago. Consider how many options we now enjoy on major weekday Feast Days as one example. In this region, we’re now limited by number of volunteers available to organize and run more Masses rather than by number of willing and interested host churches and clergy.


The ever-increasing number of priests and seminarians interested in learning to serve and celebrate the Extraordinary Form. A perfect example of this was at the All Souls Day Mass on Friday, November 2 at Old St. Mary’s Church in Detroit [photo above]: Brothers from the Franciscans of the Holy Spirit served the Mass, with seminarians from Sacred Heart Major Seminary representing two dioceses sitting in choir. Every one of the Franciscan seminarians repeatedly expressed their gratitude for having been exposed to the Traditional Mass. And stay tuned – there will be more good news along this front in next week’s Tridentine Community News column.

The increasing prevalence of Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony in parish life. For example, this week this writer heard Gregorian Mass XVIII’s Sanctus and Agnus Dei and the Salve Regína sung at a weekday Mass at an average parish in Las Vegas. That would have been unthinkable in the pre-Summórum Pontíficum era as recently as eleven years ago, when blogs and discussion boards proudly boasted of Ordinary Form choirs taking the daring step of chanting the occasional Communion Antiphon in Latin. Clearly the bar has been raised.

A gradual evolution of where serious Catholicism is found. Prior to Vatican II, many if not most parishes seemed to have been fairly orthodox. Post-Vatican II, only a handful of conservative parishes and ethnic parishes cared enough to maintain traditions. Nowadays there is no mistaking that Tridentine Mass communities lead the charge, but an increasing number of Ordinary Form parishes are shifting to a more traditional presentation of the Faith, at least at certain Masses.

A recapturing of the importance of celebrating the Feasts of the Church Year, and increasing integration of the Church calendar into daily thinking and prayer. Catholic media and many priests’ preaching are helping to rekindle awareness of the sanctoral cycle, Feasts of Our Lady, octaves, and the lives of the Saints.

Rediscovery and rededication to traditional devotions, from the Rosary to Eucharistic Adoration to gaining Indulgences. Even at otherwise “modern” parishes, ground-level support from the faithful is causing a resurgence of popular devotions that often went ignored in the 1980s and 90s. One example is the increasing number of novenas and devotions prayed before or after weekday Masses.

Increasing availability of Confession before and after Mass. If you offer it, they will come, even in Ordinary Form parishes.

The resurgence of traditional art and architecture, both in new church construction and in restorations and un-wreckovations of older churches. The number of church restorations seems to be outpacing wreckovations these days. Communion Rails, High Altars, and serious religious art are making a comeback, and the designers and contractors supporting those efforts are growing in number and busier than ever.

The rise of a whole industry of secondhand and new traditional church goods vendors, as presented in the November 4 edition of this column. The era of 1970s style products is finally starting to pass.

One might ask, with all of this good news, why isn’t the Catholic press more focused on it? Certainly much of the mainstream Catholic press is under control of the bishops, most of whom still seem oblivious to or disinterested in traditional forms of piety and worship. However, web sites, blogs, and social media – and of course this column and Extraordinary Faith - abound with example after example of the resurgent interest in our immemorial traditions, so the encouraging word will spread via other channels.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 11/20 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Felix of Valois, Confessor)
• Sat. 11/24 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. John of the Cross, Confessor & Doctor)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for November 18, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Our Lady of Czestochowa Church Adds Communion Rail and Traditional Furnishings; Boston College Jesuits Commence Offering the Traditional Mass; Rock DJ Now a Catholic Talk Show Co-Host; New Prayer Pilgrimages Bus Tours; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (May 20, 2018):

May 20, 2018 – Pentecost Sunday

Our Lady of Czestochowa Church Adds Communion Rail and Traditional Furnishings


Built in 1979 in a modern, angular style, Sterling Heights, Michigan’s Our Lady of Czestochowa Church serves a Polish congregation and is pastored by priests of the [Polish] Society of Christ. All but one Mass per week are in the Polish language.

Recently the parish undertook some adaptations to its sanctuary to make it more traditional in appearance. More classically-styled artwork, quasi-Side Altars, and a Communion Rail were added. There is a clear trend underway at several churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit to install and/or reintroduce the use of Altar Rails for distributing Holy Communion. In this particular church’s case, we have proof that even a modern building can accommodate a traditional appearance, which can only help to bolster the faith of the congregation.

Boston College Jesuits Commence Offering the Traditional Mass

Another group of Jesuits has begun to celebrate the Tridentine Mass: In Boston, Fr. Gary Gurtler, SJ, and Fr. Juan Carlos Rivera Castro, SJ have begun to offer the Traditional Mass every Friday at noon at Boston College’s St. Joseph Chapel. Fr. Castro has also offered the Extraordinary Form at St. Paul Church in Cambridge, the same church that hosts the St. Paul Choir School, mentioned in this column many times.

These Boston Jesuits join their confrères here in Detroit, Miami (at Gesu Church), San Francisco (Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ), the peripatetic Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, Fr. William Blazek, SJ [head of the Apostleship of Prayer], and various priests at London’s Farm Street Church, as regular celebrants of the Latin Mass.

Rock DJ Now a Catholic Talk Show Co-Host

Metro Detroit readers of a certain age will recognize the name Ken Calvert. Ken was a rock DJ on WRIF, WCSX, and several other radio stations for decades. He was also the announcer for the Detroit Pistons for many years. His mellifluous voice is etched into local memories. A few years ago Ken retired from commercial radio, but recently he has resurfaced. You might be surprised about his choice of subject matter.

You’re used to hear that voice introducing Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and the like. Now you can hear Ken talking about Rogation Days, Mortal Sin, and the importance of Apostles’ Feast Days. That’s because he is the producer and host of The Father Joe Podcast (www.thefatherjoepodcast.com), his co-host being Fr. Joe Grimaldi, a former teacher of his from Brother Rice High School who is now a weekend assistant at St. Hugo of the Hills and Ss. Cyril & Methodius Churches. Interestingly, Ken’s take on Catholicism has a decidedly more traditional slant than Fr. Grimaldi’s.

New Prayer Pilgrimages Bus Tours

After the briefest of hiatuses, intrepid bus tour director Michael Semaan has announced four new tours of historic churches:

1. July 1-7: Montreal & Quebec City
2. July 13: Detroit churches
3. August 1-3: Ordinations of the Institute of Christ the King in St. Louis, Missouri
4. November 8-15: Rome & Assisi [Mike’s furthest and most ambitious tour yet]

Unfortunately only the August tour will include Holy Masses in the Extraordinary Form. For more information, visit www.prayerpilgrimages.com or call (248) 250-6005.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 05/21 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Pentecost Monday)
• Tue. 05/22 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Pentecost Tuesday)
• Tue. 05/22 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Pentecost Tuesday)
• Wed. 05/23 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Wednesday of Pentecost)
• Thu. 05/24 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Pentecost Thursday)
• Fri. 05/25 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Friday of Pentecost)
• Sat. 05/26 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Ember Saturday of Pentecost)
• Sat. 05/26 9:00 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Saturday of Pentecost)
• Sun. 05/27 12:30 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Trinity Sunday)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for May 20, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Extraordinary Faith Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Monday, April 30; TLMs this coming week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (April 29, 2018):

April 29, 2018 – Fourth Sunday After Easter

Extraordinary Faith Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Monday, April 30 The first of four episodes of Extraordinary Faith filmed in London, England will air on EWTN. Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 will be shown on Monday, April 30 at 5:30 PM and on Tuesday, May 1 at 2:30 AM. As with all episodes, it will be posted for viewing on the Extraordinary Faith YouTube and Vimeo channels and at www.extraordinaryfaith.tv one month after it debuts on EWTN. You are not imagining things; EWTN scheduled the debut of this later episode of the show before earlier episodes are to debut later this the same week.

As this column has many times emphasized, London is the most exuberantly Catholic city this writer has ever visited. Traditional liturgy and music abounds; the quality of Catholic life, liturgical and otherwise, is unparalleled. These episodes provide a glimpse into this amazing world.

Our visit begins at the center of Catholicism in this capital city, Westminster Cathedral. Rector Canon Christopher Tuckwell explains the myriad of sacramental and devotional offerings at the cathedral. Mass is offered in Latin in the Ordinary Form daily and in the Extraordinary Form at least once per month, with occasional Solemn High Masses at the High Altar.


Dylan Parry was at the time of filming the editor of Westminster Cathedral’s Orémus Magazine; he has since joined the Norbertines and has taken the religious name of Br. Gildas Parry. He explains why Catholic tradition is so strong in London and the role of the late Cardinal Heenan in obtaining the pioneering “Agatha Christie Indult” for the Tridentine Mass in 1971.


Few Catholic parishes in the world can boast of a music program that features occasional polyphonic Masses in Latin. Westminster Cathedral has them all beat: They offer choral Masses most every day of the year, usually with the Cathedral Choir School boys’ choir. Music Director Martin Baker explains their ambitious music program and lets us in on a rehearsal with the choir school.


Occasional devotional processions are a part of the life of many parishes that feature the Traditional Mass. London, however, pretty much outclasses them all: In October there are not one but two major outdoor processions on successive weeks, both starting from Westminster Cathedral. We filmed the Rosary Crusade, in which approximately 2,000 of the faithful process down the main commercial streets of London on a Saturday, from Westminster Cathedral to the London Oratory. The procession ends with standing-room-only Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the Oratory. How inspiring to see such an enthusiastic public witness to our Holy Faith.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 05/01: 8:00 AM Low Mass & 7:00 PM Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph (St. Joseph the Worker)
• Tue. 05/01 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Joseph the Worker)
• Fri. 05/04 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Monica, Widow) – Celebrant: Fr. Stephen Wolfe, SJ; Deacon: Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz; Subdeacon: Fr. Peter Hrytsyk. Choir will sing Missa Surréxit Pastor Bonus by Orlando di Lassus. Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass; reception after Mass.
• Sat. 05/05 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Pius V, Pope & Confessor)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for April 29, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]